


Phoenix monarchy: Dragon Master

by King_134340



Series: Phoenix Monarchy [1]
Category: Original Work, Phoenix Monarchy
Genre: Action, Adventure, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Fighting, Fluff, Fun, Gay Romance, Humour, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Female Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Magic, Mermaids, Monarchy, Multi, Mystery, Original Character(s), Other, Romance, Steampunk, Vague Steampunk, Very Bad Humour, dragon - Freeform, kingdom - Freeform, pluto has a steampunk outfit thats it, uwu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-07-19 19:05:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19978999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/King_134340/pseuds/King_134340
Summary: A group of four heroes embark on a quest to find the lost guardian of the village: Heavens Circle.Whilst uncovering the mystery, they must also learn of their pasts, fight seemingly unwinnable battles and find the truth about the kingdom they live in.





	1. The city on stilts

**Author's Note:**

> The reason I'm writing this is not only because it's fun and I love the plot I've written (with inspiration from my friends), but also to encourage myself to do more weekly writing, so please expect me to meet my chapter every Wednesday goal. I may upload chapters early though, this is just an 'at latest' thing.

Dragon Master

Written by Ethan Wood

Part one: Before the war

Chapter 1 – The city on stilts

Heavens Circle. Once a thriving city; now a poor village, plagued by swampland, that literally stands above the cursed earth. The buildings there are all similar in structure, being varied shapes and sizes of cuboids that sit on wooden platforms, just larger than them, supported by a set of four spider-like legs that jut out from the ground below. This architecture goes for each building, from every house to the towering block of flats. Even the farm's, bakery and more stand atop large platforms with the same series of ragged, diagonal pillars that support them. The citizens walk between these buildings on an elevated walkway of stone that connects the raised structures of this village; this catwalk, being supported by mossy stone pillars that stick out of the ground like the legs that held up the buildings, except these pillars were all uniform and vertical as they brace the uplifted streets. From the marsh below, grows vines, mildew, fungus and other forms of the swamps spreading mould that have crawled up the sides of the pillars and legs over the years, leaving the village a lot to be desired.

Yet, one house, in particular, stands out from the rest, in spite of the villages already curious design. This is because the house is small and sits right on the edge of the village near the lake. That, and the fact it has a, well, a halo above it. People have tried to remove the hoop of large, dark wood that ominously floats above the hut, but to no avail. It always has, apparently, and always will be the home with the halo. But who lives in this unique and unexplainable house? Well, that'd be Pluto.

Said boy was running home right now, in the early seven o'clock, Saturday morning. He darted across the path while knocking cobbles into the sinking soil below, even almost falling off a few times. This manic dash to get home would've otherwise alarmed the neighbours, but the postman carried on through the deserted town without a single insult or question being thrown his way. It felt kind of freeing really.

"Hey, Pluto, do you know why it's so quiet today?" Is what he was greeted with by his roommate upon returning home. Pluto was a lad with brown, messy, curly hair and some purple glassed goggles hanging around his neck. He stood panting and sweating in his post uniform at the entrance of the house. On the contrary to Pluto's appearance, Eren was more self-conscious with his pretty, brushed blond hair, fancy silver ring and refined interests like wizardry. He sat on his bed wearing a white shirt and black trousers as he peered out the window. Although he would try to act like a dignified upper crust (for the reason he only ever described as 'it feels right'), his true self tended to leak out on most occasions, especially around his buddy.

"Hello to you too" Pluto grunted as he extended out the room divider and began to change out of Eren's sight. The house with the halo was just one small room, cut down the middle by a divider that could be pulled from the wall. On each side of it is a bed and a wardrobe that belonged to each boy, while the use of other appliances had to be borrowed from other places like the bakery, public toilets (which also contained a washing room for somewhat reason) and wherever would agree to help. Heaven's circle was a lovely community with no real regard for authority, in a good way, as people all just coexisted in the peace of the entire Seraphim kingdom.

"Hey, how come your home so early, postboy?" Eren finally asked, "Normally people are delivering letters all day throughout the entire kingdom"

"He finally asked. Well," Pluto began excitedly as he pulled the divider back to the collected state on the wall and revealing his outfit "the whole village got one letter" he beamed "uh, each, that is. One specific letter each!"

"So why are you dressed in your hunting outfit? And what's this letter?"

"You see, it was sent by the Guardian's Apprentice across the lake"

"Hold on," Eren stood up and actually looked at Pluto now. His silver ring was shining in the sunlight, but it wasn't the least bit distracting seeing as Eren was now frowning and souring his friends' mood, "is it serious?" he asked. The village was split into two parts, bridged together by a large lake. Pluto, Eren and everyone else lived in, well, the living area, while the cities Guardian and his apprentice lived in the forest area on the other side. There was a colossal tree with a hollowed-out trunk at the forest's entrance that no one dared to step near due to the dragons that swirled around it. Never aggressive, dragons, as long as you don't aggravate them. Gotta admit, though, they're still intimidating.

"Yes, life-changing, BUT it's also a new opportunity for us!" Pluto recovered as he clutched the letter with clammy hands, "remember how we always used to talk about going on an adventure together"

"If it's serious then tell me please"

"Oh. Yeah, the Dragon Master is missing. But you see, everyone else is gone because-"

"PLUTO!"

"WHAT?!"

"We need to GO." Eren panicked all of a sudden as he plucked his garnet red robes from the end of his bed and put them on while quickly walking out the door. "Come on!" His robes were that dramatic red colour with gold patterns and a large hood (that Eren never put up) despite the thing being quite thin and flattering.

"Alright, bossy" Pluto pouted. His hunting gear wasn't anything special, just a regally purple coat with a gold trim and shoulder epaulettes. He wore it over a shirt and trousers like Eren, except he had black, leather boots as opposed to Eren's brown ones. He was also equipped with a longbow and a quiver of about eleven particularly sharp, handmade arrows. And, of course, his goggles were now perched atop his head.

"Hey, shouldn't we go looking for him like everyone else in the village not...swimming?" He followed his alarmed friend out the house, across the walkway and down one of the sets of stairs that ended on the floor below the town and on the pier. It was just in front of and below their house, which Pluto smiled and pointed to despite Eren's grumpy sighing.

"We are looking," he explained, "Except we're not idiots like the rest of this town apparently is."

"Pfft, speak for yourself...wait-"

"Look, Pluto, we're going to ask the Dragon Master's apprentice what they fully know. What does the letter say anyway?" Eren began untying a pair of rowboats that were moored in here while Pluto skimmed through the letter again.

"You're an idiot" he muttered.

"What was that, child"

"Nothing, dear" Pluto hummed, "but the letter says nothing other than he's missing and that it's a grave issue"

"Pluto"

"Eren"

"You do realise that this is a grave issue right?" he had both the boats ready and stood there with his arms crossed, which made it Pluto's turn to frown.

"Yeah, course." He put the letter in a pocket on the inside of his coat and walked up to Eren, "you okay?"

"...yeah" he answered inaudibly before stepping into one of the li'l boats and getting ready to head over to the forest, "this is the quickest way there and back," he explained before setting off as Pluto did.

The lake turned out to be just as bad as the soil under the town. It was a large body of dead, dark green water with strangely shaped shadows under the surface. Each paddle brought up clumps of mould and algae that only made the tiring chore of travelling to the Guardians tree house that much harder for the boys. After all, their strengths lay in Eren's knowledge and magic as well as Pluto's leadership and agility. Strength didn't factor into their team, unfortunately. They would always have each other's backs though, no matter what. But Pluto was worried. Eren was meant to stay composed so his teammate could stand ground and lay fire whilst guiding him. Sure the wizard was brave and ready to charge in, but he was just a loose cannon alone; as Pluto, alone, is a panicky commander with no army. If anything, they relied on each other; in and out of battle.

Left alone with their thoughts, the two panted and pressed forward through the sultry summer weather and resistant waters below, until eventually rowing underneath a wooden bridge that connected two hills and served as a gateway into the forest. Here, they moored the boats in the pier, which was exactly the same basic 'L' shape as the pier in Heavens Circle, and took a moment to stretch their aching muscles and take in the giant tree.

"Now, Pluto" Eren began, "when we go inside, remember why we're here and try to stay on topic- and he's gone."

"HEY EREN" Pluto was now waving from inside the grandiose archway that was carved into the side of the tree as an entrance, "THIS PLACE IS AMAZING." Eren doubted its charm as he looked up towards the sky and saw the shadows of multiple enormous dragons flying above the clouds, but he followed Pluto inside anyway. The entrance was nothing compared to the inside; all the way up was the rough, hollowed-out tube that is the inside of the trunk. Randomly strung around the darkness above are dim yellow lights that shone like the stars of space, leaving Eren mesmerised in the great dazzle of the Dragon Masters tree-house. The inside was quite warm and welcoming as well, for no reason other than it was literally quite warm and that the mood-setting lights that set the atmosphere.

"Wow" is all Eren could gasp as he followed Pluto in and looked around the place for himself, "I didn't know what to expect from a Guardians house, but this is brilliant!"

"Look at you, enjoying things~" Pluto teased. He'd apparently stopped admiring the setting a for a while to instead appreciate a smiling Eren besides him. After all, Pluto had delivered post to and from here a few times.

"Oh y-yeah. Um, we're here for a re-"

"Ahem"

"GHOST DRAGONS" Pluto screamed. In response to the sudden noise of someone abruptly clearing their throat next to him, he jumped and now stood to guard Eren.

"I'm the apprentice. The one who sent the letter." The teen said as they stepped forward. They looked uncomfortable, being in the presence of people and all, but stood there fiddling with the hem of their shirt anyway.

"How long were you-"

"The whole time...I live-live here" they stuttered out to answer Eren.

"Of course, sorry. We just wanted to get the whole story on the Dragon Master" he clarified, trying his best to speak in a calm tone. Instead, a sighing Pluto signified that the apprentices backing off was not out of comfort.

"Anyway... you know anything?" Pluto asked, stepping in.

"Everything is in the-the letter. Sorry" They said. The kid's nervousness wasn't complemented well by their slender body and charred clothes. If you didn't know who they were, you could've confused them for a homeless child. That being said, their arms looked particularly muscular, and their hands like they're used a lot for fighting. That meaning they're covered in bruises. Just what was the power they had that landed them in the Guardian career?

"Wait, are you training now?" Pluto asked with concern in his voice after noticing the roughed up hands, "shouldn't you be out looking too?"

"The Dragon Master will be fine... besides, I'd just-just be useless" they looked down to the floor "I'm better off here training until he gets back, so I don't fall behind," they explained with an obviously forced smile. This and the sweat glistening off their dark brown skin along with the fresher looking bruises proved Pluto's hypothesis of training instead of hunting.

"Right, you" Pluto pointed to the apprentice, "go to bed and rest. Then leave first thing tomorrow to join the search"

"But-" they protested,

"Hey Pluto" Eren put his hand on his friend's shoulder, "maybe they're right. They are just an apprentice after all,"

"And what are we, Eren?"

"Well-"

"Were two practically poor boys with my subpar archery skills and your spell that stores our belongings in a pocket dimension. What are we going to do on our own?" 

"Exactly-"

"And here we are anyway. Trying to find out more so that we can fi- wait what do you mean by exactly," Pluto was now very riled up and talking a lot faster than he should be. This being worsened by the confusion at his roomies' response.

"Look, I knew you wouldn't let this go and frankly, I'm terrified of all this so-"

"I don't care"

"No, don't be angry, please, I just thought that if you let it go then-"

"I said I don't care" Pluto clarified. He walked up to give his confused friend a big hug, "we can do this."

"But, it's like you said. I don't even know any decent magic"

"Eren"

"...yeah?" The pair remained in a silent embrace for a couple of seconds while the now flustered apprentice waddled out of the room. Eren's pale white skin clashed against Pluto's more tanned complexion from delivering the post out in the sun most of his life. They both got hotter as they held one another closer, Pluto with his arms wrapped around Eren's neck, and his arms around Pluto's waist, so that they could smell the faint scents of, well, each other. It was nice. Both wished it would last longer. An eternity of comfort in each other's arms. Unfortunately, Pluto had already begun to gently pull away, only leaving one arm on his friend's shoulder so he could look him right in his stormy grey eyes and share a smile.

"I'll always be here with you Eren."

The journey back on the boats was filled with the nice sounds of splashing swamp water as opposed to the overwhelming silence of being alone with your own thoughts like before. Just the calmness of knowing the other is there and the splashing of upturned water. Once they returned, the two took the free boats back to the positions they found them in, then headed up the stone stairs towards the only place they thought they could reliably get some information: the town hall. More specifically, the Mayor's office.

Entering the double doors of the building opposite the post office, the two found themselves greeted by one of the five receptionists behind the long front desk. The town hall was easily the largest building here, the space being mostly taken up by 'the back room'. The other receptionists were getting stuck into paperwork or some other form of admin that Pluto would probably have to deliver to other cities and villages if he wasn't going off on some epic quest with his bestie. They both nodded (Pluto with a smile) in response to the guy who welcomed them and wandered over to the door opposite the desk. It was labelled clearly as 'mayors office' and was free for anyone to walk into if they wanted a chat with the big man. Which is just what they both planned to do. This city is very communal, and everywhere is open to everyone. Everywhere, except the archives, AKA 'the back room'. No one, but the mayor, knows what is in there as it's sealed behind a locked vault door and inside a large metal room in the back of the town hall that is clearly impenetrable. The rest of the building, however, very clearly didn't have the same budget. The beige wallpaper was peeling and showing the orange wood behind it and the only furniture in here, bar the receptionists' desk, was a tall lamp and a long sofa. Even the once beautiful yellow sunflower in the corner was sadly dying in its cracked ceramic pot. Yet all of this misery on show was nothing compared to that of Mr Mayor of the hated town himself.

"Ah, hello boys. Whatever is the matter, I am awfully busy so please, cut it short" the two were greeted by a balding man with such grey and little hair for his fairly young age. He tried to smile as he momentarily glanced up from something he was writing, but just ended up looking like he was about to burst into tears

"Heya, Phil" Pluto waved, followed by Eren's ready-to-have-a-serious-conversation voice that he hated, especially seeing as it tended to ruin a mood.

"We're here to ask if you know anything about the disappearance or a way to hel-"

"Ah yes, thank you, thank you so much for being the first to come by. And hello, son" he waved back at Pluto. The mayor now looked up at the two with a hopeful expression (although he still looked ready to burst) as they had apparently piqued his interest. 

"If one more person cuts me off" Eren growled.

"This is why he calls me son and not you," Pluto said as he poked his tongue out and pointed to Eren's disgruntled face.

"Right you two, straight to business. I'm swamped in trade arguements with the duke of Hallowed Gardens" the mayor put down the small piece of paper he was working on, "so, I'm sure you know where Halo is?"

"Of course" Pluto pointed at the map on the mayors wall to a small town just East of Heavens Circle. "I delivered there, like, twice. It's nice and quaint there" he smiled.

"Yes, yes. Well a man lives there by the name of Uncle Stan -yes that is a code name- and he is a legendary warrior" the man said as he nodded his head confidently "I need you two to find him, seeing as the rest of the town set off on the quest alone, and ask him to assist us. I just know he'll say yes."

"I'm not being rude mayor, " Eren said carefully "but you know better than anyone else how...unpopular our town is. If anything, your, uh lovely hair tells the story of your stress"

"The story of his stress?"

"Shut up Pluto. What I'm saying is that everyone, even, no, especially, the Crown City is against the mere existence of the home that's survived here. How do we know a supposed legendary warrior of all people is going to help us?"

"Look, kid" the mayor began, "It's all about connections."

"What is?"

"Shut up Pluto. Me and 'Uncle Stan' go way back. He must help. For now, I'll order an evacuation to anyone still left here and send Carole out to spread the news. Just maybe we'll get some attention or pity. Otherwise, lads, the fate of Heavens Circle is in your hands." The mayor was already sat down again writing what was apparently a letter to be sent out as an evacuation notice instead of the ever so important trade deal he was working on before. He was simultaneously packing stuff in a trunk while ushering for the duo to leave so he could focus on his plan.

"Well that was quick" Eren sighed.

"And very pleasant..." Pluto complained. Either way, the two looked at one another and nodded in acknowledgement of the plan. The plan being: get out there. They are both equipped with their weapons and clothes, after all. The only thing left is scouting and then it's go time on the mission to find the lost Guardian!

"Right, with the Dragon Masters disappearance, all the dragons that usually patrol around have grown restless and can no longer perform their job" Eren explained, "normally they'd be following the orders of the Dragon Master and purging the areas between and around cities of monsters." He had returned to his awaiting friend on the outskirts of the town after going off to talk to the apprentice and get this sort of information, while Pluto went and bought some bread and water for the journey.

"I see. Well, usually the trip is a few hours at least, but to be safe, we should take the relatively monsterless route through convenience cave so we can end up in Halo just after a day" Pluto added, "so let's get going!" he beamed. The two got up after Eren used magic to store there supplies away (leaving him tired right off the bat) and set off around the west side of the lake and east of Heaven's circle until they reached a large hill. Carved in the side of it, was a dank hole with jagged stalactites, eerie sounds and gross droplets of green-ish water dripping from the ceiling.

"You're enjoying this too much, aren't you?"

"What's not to enjoy about a trip with you, Eren?" Pluto's emerald green eyes shone in the now fully broken summer morning of ten O'clock, and Eren stared right into them. He didn't mean to, honest, he just wanted to catch Pluto grinning in the face of danger. But he couldn't help himself from looking into the unknown depths that is his friend.

"Uh, yeah, course" he smiled back but averted his gaze to the path ahead as they began to track down into the cave, "It'll be the best" he added in hushed tones.

Three hours. That's how long it took for everything to go wrong. The duo had simply sat down to rest and drink some water, maybe have a li'l snack. That's when they showed up: the people of below.

The sparks of a pathetic flame danced along Eren's fingertips as he attempted to channel the mana in the air so he could learn some spells beyond subspace storage during his free time. Unfortunately, that was difficult with Pluto's giggling.

"Can you, maybe, not, do that"

"Sorry, it's just entertaining to watch you fiddle with air-"

"Oi"

"especially when you know zero offensive spells. It's cute, like an innocent puppy"

"Whatever" Eren frowned, "Besides, I'm fairly sure the spell I have that can restock your quiver in an instant is considered offensive Mr-"

"Alright, I get it"

"Mr ungrateful"

"Bleh" Pluto stuck his tongue out again, like the adult he is, whilst Eren carried on attempting to summon fire. The sparks momentarily expanded, as did the grin on his face. Soon, embers were born and a small sphere of crackling fire had been summoned. If only it hadn't been almost immediately snuffed out by his fatigue and the appearance of them.

"Now, sir, do you have a legal wand for this practice?" suddenly, a raspy voice spoke out of the shadows, "without one, you could be in serious trouble," it taunted.

Pluto swiftly drew his bow and nocked three arrows, "who are you. Show yourself" he demanded while standing over a once again panicking Eren. The situation wasn't helped by Eren's tired form thanks to magic overexertion. Unfortunately, Pluto got exactly what he wanted. Three, no five, no seven of the exact same person in incredibly thick and long, dark blue robes emerged from the shadows. Their faces were hidden in the shadows of their clothing and each had their hands retracted into the material. There was a silver mist hanging around each of them that complimented the silver patterns of their garbs.

"We are the, um...magic police" one of them coughed out. They clearly were not the magic police.

"Yes and we're here to...take you away...for the best" choked another. The fear that these people already instilled was made more intense by the fact neither of the heroes could tell which enemy was speaking. It was just cold, sharp noise emitting from a cluster of blue and silver. That's when Pluto felt a tug on his trouser leg, to see Eren, still sat on the damp rocky floor, mouthing the words 'dark mages'. But there was nothing either of them could do at this moment, as evident by all three of the arrows that Pluto shot being nimbly dodged by flurries of blue wizards. And they were quick to counterattack. A thick purple vapour appeared from out of their robes as they chanted rapidly in a language that is far from anything human. How are they even making those sounds?

"Crap, they're demonic mages. Aren't they like the worst?" Pluto asked as if this was relevant during a purple gas attack.

"Well, yeah they are the worst, but the spells of these guys are in plain English. They're just evil warlocks or something."

"Ah yes, their chanting is as English as their voices are nice and buttery smooth" Pluto replied in a mix of sarcasm and worry.

"Are you okay?"

"Are you?" The pair had now grabbed onto each other's shoulders and braced for whatever was coming. Fear was profuse on their faces and only their mutual reassurance kept them sane.

"AAAAHHHHHHH" came the sudden and apparently delayed screaming, as they both needed a moment to comprehend the fact that they had apparently teleporting for at least a few seconds already. That is to say, falling at an alarming rate through a tunnel of flashing colours while still gripping the shoulders of the other for some sense of security. The cave had now been left behind in memories and all that remained of the demonic mages was an apparition of their hollow laughter.

"Pluto!"

"Eren!"

"WELCOME" an authoritative voice boomed in semblance with a loud banging. God damned magic and its mental delays. The two looked around to see that the warping was over. They now stood on some kind of tall wooden podium in front of ...a crowd? Oh. Soon enough they let go of each other's shoulders and turned around to face the man who was banging the mallet on the desk. Above them was a large, light blue stained-glass dome and around them were walls made of stone bricks. Behind them was a closed door guarded by two knights and around them were rows of seats filled with whispering citizens, in fancy attires, who were using judgemental and hushed tones.

Once again, the man banged the mallet on the desk and silenced the room. He was tall with a relatively long (and majestically groomed) grey beard. His blatantly royal attire screamed money and his shiny gold crown fitted with three red gemstones explained just who he was.

"WELCOME, to the king's courtroom. Today we have Pluto Osiris and Eren Bright on trial for the kidnapping of Heaven Circles Guardian: the Dragon Master."


	2. Uncle Stan

"Woah, Woah, Woah," Pluto put his hands up in defence, "you see, we were on our way to find him! We just learnt of the incident this morning, uh, your majesty."

"Yeah," Eren added, "besides, we're just powerless young men-"

"SILENCE," the king roared as he banged the gavel again, "you dare to speak back. Do you realise what your actions have caused?!"

"Sir-"

"The Dragon Master is your cities guardian, just like Cerano is for us here in Celestial city. These guardians were born with unexplainable powers that they now use to ensure the safety of all humanity from the monsters that roam the wilds. Without them regulating threats, all life as we know it would be overrun by EVIL. I'm sorry to say it but your precious Heavens Circle shall not stand for much longer without him," the king explained. The pair on trial already knew all this but didn't dare talk back at this point. Instead, they stood there listening intently for their punishment with racing minds. The crowd was nothing short of evil themselves, blindly going along with the king's false accusations and thriving off the prejudice of them being above other towns, especially Heavens Circle. Oh, how they muttered amongst themselves of the joy they'll get from watching two innocents rot away in jail for reasons unbeknownst to all but the king. 

Hey, why were the two of them being accused of this anyway?

"Excuse me, king, what, uh, evidence do you have against us anyway?" 

"PLUTO"

"yes, Eren?"

"You can't be so blunt!" Eren hissed, his point being validated by the gasping crowds and even angrier expression on the king's face. 

"Are you questioning my authority?" the king scowled,

"Im questioning your objectiv-"

"YOUR SENTENCE IS LIFE IN PRISON. Be thankful the death penalty is yet to come your way" he announced. The audience lit up at the prospect of these two getting thrown in a cell. Eren and Pluto had barely started their journey, yet here it was, ending already with a lifetime sentence. Maybe Eren was right, maybe they were wrong to overestimate their abilities. Pluto stood there mumbling ideas to himself as guards marched in to take them away. He was considering options and escape routes, but idea after idea was being shot in succession by his own mind. They can't take on a whole kingdom and Pluto's scheming was quickly turning to panic as he began sweating. But when he turned to his friend for comfort, he saw the last thing he would've ever expected. Eren's eyes were wide and his teeth were gritted. His hand had the faint white glow of him preparing to summon and item, maybe even a whole fireball.

"Hey, Pluto" he began "you're gonna get out of here, okay? When I attack, you run and don't look back. You may not make it, but it's the best chance of one of us getting out of here," he spoke in a hushed deep tone of pure rage.

"I would never do that. You're coming with me!"

"No," It was Erens turn to look Pluto in the eyes and put his hand on his friend's shoulder, "clearly something is going on here for us to be baselessly put on trial"

"Took you long enough"

"Pluto, please. I need you. Heavens circle needs you, and with King Arthur now acting shady, the kingdom needs you. Go, be a hero and promise you'll come back for me." The two were on the brink of tears and Pluto was torn with the choice he had to make in a split second. Life in jail with his friend or freedom without him; it was a choice impossible to choose. But apparently, he didn't need to, because now we meet hero #3. From the doorway shouted the powerful, yet shaky voice of a young woman.

"Guards. You will stand down!" she shouted, "Father, these men are innocent. If not, then please...present your evidence." The girl wore a goldenrod yellow, shoulderless dress with a brown belt and light blue scarf. On her feet, she had brown sandals and on her head was lovely short blonde hair. Her presence seemed to shake the room, as she made the king angrier than the accused did. She also silenced the crowds and had the authority to bring the guards to a halt. Yep, this was definitely princess Luka Rose Trindlewood. The first heir and princess of the Trindlewood royal family.

"What have I said about interrupting my court proceedings, dear" the king spat out in a failed attempt to mask his anger. "There is no need for trivial matters such as evidence, you can't hope to understand what is going on. Now leave. Because if have to throw you in the dungeon along with these criminals... then so be it." The wide-eyed crowd looked at one another but didn't dare to utter a single breath and the guards at the foot of the podium didn't know whether to carry out the orders of their king or princess, either option could land them in trouble.

"You guards will not move a single step," she said, ignoring her dad, "come with me you two. I hope to help." Pluto and Eren hesitantly edged down the steps towards the princess but ultimately decided that this was better than either one of them landing a prison sentence. So, after a few more cautious steps, they broke into a run towards Luka, who joined them as they left a gobsmacked king and mortified crowd in their dust. All they could hear was the confused shuffling of guards and the angry yelling of a betrayed king.

"Miss Kraken"

"Lady Trindlewood"

The trio had run through Celestial city and ended up in a pub that was part of the, ah, poorer district. Here they found a table, sat down and ordered a round of drinks, Luka ordering herself two beverages. Soon enough, three became four as hero número cuatro arrived, being addressed by Luka.

"Guys, this is Hyuna. She's a friend of mine." There stood a tall lady with long black hair that has red tips. Luka warned the boys beforehand that the people here were poor, so don't draw any attention to their clothing and such, but Hyuna didn't fit that at all as the rest of the civilians did. Her outfit was very rebellious and wild and honestly a bit confusing. She had a very revealing, black leather crop top corset...thing on over a white crop top. Her trousers were a nice dark red, except they were separated at the knees and loosely held together so you could see the fishnets underneath. She also had a surprising amount of silver jewellery in the form of bracelets, a belt and a chain on the left of her trouser...things. Her skin was quite naturally tan as well, a lot more than Pluto's.

"A pleasure" she smiled. Her voice was deep and calm, but still powerful and kind of intimidating. Of course, Pluto didn't pick up on this and shook the hand she didn't hold out. Eventually, the four sat and ate and drank while the two boys explained everything that's been going on from the letter to now. 

"I see," Hyuna said, "well, what do you think Luka?"

"Uh, about what?" she replied in a confused tone. Eren and Pluto had just finished explaining and now this.

"About joining them, you intend to do so don't you?"

"Oh, no. We really appreciate all your help, but I wouldn't want to endanger you two aswell" Pluto responded, " we barely got out of the court situation without the massive burst of luck that was Luka."

"So you're saying we women would just get in the way?" Hyuna asked, leaving Pluto and Luka confused.

"Literally never was that thought in the air. He's just concerned about your well being" Eren contributed.

Hyuna was a li'l embarrassed now, giving Luka something to giggle at, but she bit back "look, I can handle myself perfectly fine. Do you know what they call me here? The poor girl warrior. I killed the animals for materials and made these clothes myself," on cue, she stretched out her arms, causing two long silver, jagged daggers to slip out of her sleeves and into her hands, "I even forged these here blades."

Pluto whistled and poked Eren, "Hey, she's super cool right? Still though. Travelling with us is a danger" he spoke seriously, "it won't be as cosy as the crown city y'know?"

Celestial city, otherwise known as the crown city, due to it being the residence of the royal family. A large port town surrounded by a giant, grey, brick wall that cut off a corner of land for the city. A huge grey right angle with a castle melted into one side off it and a gate next to that. It was split down the middle by a winding river that leads from the ocean, out the gate and who knows beyond that. Along the river grows giant patches of crops, primarily wheat, for miles and miles. On the south side of the river within the walls, is the poor district. Here, identical houses of wood and stone randomly lined the winding gravel streets, the only landmark being a small lake and the lighthouse just outside it. The strange part was these houses weren't even that bad. The people of this town apparently think poor means a large district of nice, two-story, wooden and stone houses with gardens out front and the lovely smell of baking filling the streets. Sure, their clothes weren't the best, but otherwise, they were thriving; and Pluto had forgotten to mention that the food at this pub was an absolute delight. The East side of the river, however, was the rich district. Here stood towering houses and manors made of brick with beautiful decor outside and in. Here was also the port, with two massive wooden sailboats. Of course, the main attraction of the rich district was the royal castle, which three of our protagonists just stormed out of. They should probably consider how they're criminals now, huh.

Luka stood up from the table, "either way, the three of us are criminals now" she proclaimed, "and so we're in this together. And if I'm going, I want Hyuna with me" she had gone red now "a-after all, she's not the most popular with the law!"

Hyuna sniggered "damn right."

"I guess that settles it then" Eren sighed, "come on, I just wanna get back on track now"

"Finnneeee" Pluto whined with a smile quickly returning to his face, "we've all got each other's backs now"

"Mhm," Luka nodded, "hurray to new friends!"

"Whatever" Hyuna smiled, "come on, I know where Halo is from here."

And so, the greatest band of heroes you'll ever meet was formed right here. Together, they swore it: swore that they'll find the dragon master together; swore that they'd save the people of heavens circle; and swore that they'd fix the shade of King Arthurs rule.

About four in the afternoon now, the sun hung high in the sky over Celestial city and lit up the bustling streets. People were out there working, washing clothes, even just travelling, and, of course, there were many guards on the lookout for three certain runaways. Said runaways that were choosing to avoid the light of day in favour of a secret tunnel that leads from one of the pub's rooms all the way to Luka's room in the castle. 

"Wouldn't this be an inn? You know, 'cause there's lodging." Pluto wondered aloud as he followed behind Eren through dank passageways of stone, moss and rusty metal bits like hooks and abandoned weapons. The only light down there was a candle that Hyuna brought from the pub; it's light flickered and cast dancing shadows against the walls, which Pluto refused to admit repeatedly made him jump.

"Hey, the Dog & Duck is not something as shrill as an inn" Hyuna defended. She seemed proud when it came to talking about masculine things like...drinking apparently. "It is a pub. They serve some real drinks there!"

"Yeah but- doesn't matter" Pluto decided not to fight this battle.

"Yeah but, is it legal?" Eren took over.

"...of course. Either way, Luka here would help me keep it open, right Lady?" she winked.

Luka went red and forged on ahead until they all stopped at a dead end, "of course I'd help my friend" she muttered, "HEY, we're here now," and she gestured above them to a wooden trap door. The tunnel was just about wide enough for them to walk in single file, and the roof was fine enough. At least Luka and Eren didn't have to duck. So following Luka's cautious lead, they all travelled up and out of the passage and into a royal room that was bigger than the entirety of the...pub? There was a massive bed with colourful sheets, pillows and a few stuffed toys. Well, first of all: the colour. It was overwhelming. From the wallpaper to bed to all the books on the shelves and even the shelves themselves. The windows were stained glass and the clothes that were messily about were every colour of the rainbow and more.

"Pardon the mess," Luka was now hastily picking up discarded dresses, books and the occasional toy whilst Hyuna got comfy on the bed. "The plan of action is for you guys" Luka pointed at Eren and Pluto, consequently dropping a purple tiger, and then to the door, "to go out there and scout the place out. Got that?"

"But you live here" Pluto commented, "wouldn't it make more sense for you to go out there?"

"Well yeahhhhhhhh, BUT. I wanted to talk to Hyuna alone before we start this dangerous quest" Luka admitted.

"Ah, I see, we'll be back before you know it, Lady," Pluto said, following with a jokey wink.

"GO NOW!" his joke had successfully angered Luka and left her whole face red, causing him to giggle as Eren dragged him out the door. But after about a minute of her shoving her possessions in corners and drawers so the room looked vaguely neat, she went and sat next to her pal on the bed.

"Hey, Lady" Hyuna teased, "I see my little nickname for you is catching on."

"Yeah, yeah whatever"

"What was so desperate that you needed to be alone with me then, hmm?"

"Just...shhhhh you"

"Whatever you say" Hyuna gave in and lay down with her hands behind her head, "I'm all ears"

"Soooooo, I know that I said I wanted you with me on this journey," Luka began. She waited a few seconds to see if Hyuna would react or say anything but ended up cursing herself for doubting Hyunas listening skills and carried on, "but you don't have to come. They are right, my dad is a scary person and I highly doubt the way he got them to the courtroom was anything less than forceful. And I know you, Hyuna"

"Do you?"

"Yes. I know you don't want to go out there and die on behalf of some guardian you've never even met. And I know you care more for your own life than that of the people of Heavens circle. I don't blame you, with your upbringing, I'd imagine self-preservation is hard-wired into you. So, seeing as you don't have a reason to fight, you shouldn't be risking your life as well" the princess sighed. She now sat leaning back on her hands but refusing to look at Hyuna. The discomfort was as apparent on her face as the tears that brimmed her eyes. Had she hurt Hyuna's feelings or gone too far? Either way, the pair of them sat in a silence that lasted a good few minutes. Just taking in the soft aroma of the room and listening to the summer breeze as sunlight peered in through the windows. Slowly, the poor girl's hand travelled across the soft bed sheets towards Lukas until they both sat there, fingers intertwined and tension rising. Both girls were slightly blushing at this point but still continued to sit in awkward silence for a while as they took in the warmth that the other gave them. 

That is until Hyuna finally sat up properly and looked Luka right in her light blue eyes. They were kinda turquoise and reminded Hyuna of, well, Luka. Her tranquillity and nobility. The way she was mature and feminine yet sitting here ready to fight a battle for some guy she's never met. They reminded her of everything she loved about Luka.

"You're going to risk your life, aren't you?" she finally asked. Luka responded with a gentle nod as she wiped any tears from her eyes. She had to do this, to protect the kingdom she will one day inherit, to save innocent lives and to uncover her dad's lies. Looking into Hyunas pretty brown eye's made it all that much harder to leave her and possibly die, but she had a duty to fulfil and a friend she needs to protect. 

"In that case," Hyuna carried on, "you're my reason to fight, Luka."

Eren and Pluto had returned only a few minutes later with the news that the coast was clear enough, but they weren't alone. The door was flung open, startling the girls on the bed who now had to stop their cuddling, by an angry nurse with the two boys in tow. Quickly, they shut the door behind them and decided to let the nurse do all the talking.

"Now, Luka, you know that I'm fine with your friends and that I won't tell the king, but you absolutely cannot have them just wandering around the castle. Your lucky that it's me who found them and not some guard or nobleman. My frail heart nearly exploded when I saw their pathetic attempts at sneaking around." The woman stood with her arms crossed as she sternly disciplined the princess. Her clothes were a tad nicer than the poor peoples from town, but on the whole, were still just brown rags with the occasional bit of white cloth thrown in to signify her position as practically Luka's nanny. Her hair was brown long and scraggy but thrown into a bun while she worked. Her job was to care for Luka like the mum she didn't have and raise her into a respectable princess.

"To be fair," Pluto clarified, "it was out first time sneaking around"

"Pluto"

"Yes, Eren?"

"Be quiet"

"Okay, Eren."

Luka shook her head and, after a second, finally processed all that was happening, "I see...thank you, Nurse, I shall be more cautious next time," she said while nodding and prompting the nurse to leave.

"I shall be more cautious next time," Hyuna mimicked, earning her a smile and playful punch from Luka.

"Hey, you know I'm expected to act all refined for her. After all, it's what she's spent most of her life teaching me to be; I have to at least pretend."

"Well, aren't you sweet." Hyuna had gotten off the bed now and was at the door. She peered her head out and watched the nurse disappear after ushering some guards away from Luka's room. "Come on, the stables aren't that far, we'll take a couple of horses and head for Halo."

And so, the four heroes lurked out of the princesses room, down some spiral staircases, past the throne room and down some annoyingly long halls, all the way towards the stable. There were five horses in total here, each similar in size and brown colouring. Everybody grabbed onto one and just...knew how to ride. So Pluto apologised to the fifth horse for leaving it behind and the group set off for adventure.

"Giving my upbringing and all the skills Hyuna has taught herself, we know why the two of us can ride horses, but when, how and most importantly why did you two learn how to ride horses?" Luka asked the boys. 

"Why is the most important question?" Pluto answered.

"because," Eren cut in, "well...we don't know honestly. It just kinda came to me when we leapt on their backs," he explained; Pluto nodding in agreement.

"We both have amnesia," he added, "me and Eren just sometimes...can do things and we don't know why. It's like Erens natural magic skill level, that he's yet to control, and my strategic ability."

"That you're yet to harness because you panic the moment something goes wrong," Eren commented.

"HEY...I'm getting better. Besides, the point is me and Eren have a past that's beyond even us. So, we probably used to ride horses or something. Oooo what if we were nobility!?"

"I highly doubt that"

"Whatever."

Luka and Hyuna just listened to them both speak and accepted their explanations without question, otherwise, they probably would've gone on forever. After all, they were nearly there now. They had been trotting along for hours down a long gravel road through the summer night. It was now 9 pm, and although the sun was beginning to lower on the horizon, the air was still nice and warm while the breeze was soothing. Celestial city was long gone and in fact, Halo was just about in view. The journey had gone pretty smoothly, hence their relaxation, but there was still some minor shocks. That being the distant sounds of thunder striking the Earth that could be heard in the around them. None of them knew what it was, but they did know it kept them safe from the monsters that lurked beyond city walls, so they pushed on to Halo and forgot all about it.

Walking into Halo was quite underwhelming to all but Pluto. Especially Eren, who had been kidnapped by evil 'magic police' from below just this morning, consequently delaying his arrival here with Pluto. Instead of a colourful village, bustling town or bright city that he had wished for, they were greeted with a ghost town. All doors and windows shut; empty streets; silent air and a generally grim atmosphere. After sighing and accepting this, Eren looked around for somewhere to rest his tired soul after this long day. Unfortunately, Pluto had to ruin that relief.

"This isn't right," Pluto commented, "normally...normally there are people out."

"Hey, it's getting late. Maybe we should follow suit and go to bed as well, look there's an inn over there that I'm sure has room," Luka pointed out after giving a little yawn.

"No. NononononNO." Pluto looked scared, "Halo, it has a sort of... ritual. The people are always out until at least midnight, laughing and chatting, even dancing and singing. They say a man from Halo won't sleep, as long as the stars will shine tomorrow."

And that's when Luka took off. After gasping and dropping the horse's reins, she jumped off the animals back and into the town, followed shortly after by her three shocked and out of breath friends. 

"Hey...LADY," Hyuna shouted, "what on EARTH do you think you're doing running away like that, and how'd you get to be so...fast"

"You said...Uncle Stan....right?" Luka answered between breaths, "well that ...is a code name...his real name was lost in....time...You see he was... a guardian, the first one in fact...the place he protected was...the entire planet Earth," she announced as she reached some random cottage doorstep and stopped to breathe deeply. After finally catching her breath, she carried on, "he was commonly referred to as the star guardian, for he shone above the rest that came after him. His natural-born power was control over light. He could manifest it into weapons, or manipulate it to surge an area in darkness. He could even use it for so many more abilities than any guardian in history to the point where everyone lost track of the extent of his powers, even himself."

"You see," Hyuna stepped in, allowing her friend to breathe again, "guardians are people born with natural abilities beyond normal magic, as I'm sure you know. But these skills must be tempered over time to be usable, and even then you can always learn new tricks. And Uncle Stan, he's an immortal. Being alive for eternity with an ability that grows stronger with time...seriously how did you two not know about him."

"Amnesia" Eren and Pluto replied simultaneously.

"Either way," Luka said "Uncle Stan still does that job to this day, keeping out threats anywhere he travels. Halo is just a temporary home for him, we're lucky he's staying so close. And I see why your mayor sent for him of all people. Uncle Stan is basically the guardian of guardians at this point, so his help is essential...unfortunately he misses out on news from time to time due to his age he's sorta...lost it a bit. He's out of touch and has to rest a lot more than normal people...he's very vulnerable. Which is why I went running away from you all."

"Finally we're at the explanation," Eren sighed.

"What you said about the culture here is entirely true," Luka confirmed, "I'm sorry for not realising sooner but-"

"The Lady needs her beauty sleep," Hyuna teased.

"Shhhhh I know I'm tired. But the point is... something truly awful must've happened for them to all be indoors right now. And that phrase you told us about, you know the thing with the stars."

"A man from Halo won't sleep, as long as the stars will shine tomorrow," Pluto said.

"Well... what if one of the stars went out?"


	3. The Tomb of Styx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine not uploading one week <.<

The place was empty. Uncle Stan's cottage was just a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom; each small in size. The group entered through the front door to see a small corridor straight ahead with two doors on the left and right of it as well as a back door at the opposite end. The two on the left lead to the living room and kitchen, and the two on the right lead to the bedroom and the bathroom; each room being decorated how you'd imagine they would for an old person. Elegant, wooden furniture and cabinets with ornaments, except the fine china were replaced with ancient-looking weaponry from throughout time. Dust covered most surfaces and all the wax in the candles had melted, bar one that Eren had lit with magic.

"You okay?" Pluto asked him.

"Yeah, man. It was just a little spark spell," Eren answered with a smile. He thought back to when they were living together when Pluto worried about small things and acted all overprotective. He missed it already. The journey had been prolonged once by the trial and again by the sudden death of Uncle stan, in fact, they had no idea where they were to go now...Eren just wanted to be back in Heavens Circle practising magic and spending time with Pluto but instead, he was lost in some super big kidnapping that has little to no leads and now a murder aswell.

"If you say so." Pluto nodded and wandered off to look around the place. When Luka had hit the group with the news of Uncle Stans death outside the house, they had all stood in stunned silence and waited a good minute or two for someone to break the tension. Eventually, Eren came out with the idea to investigate the building for, well, anything. If they found out the murderer, they could maybe link them to the Dragon Master and solve the mystery of whodunnit. So here they were rummaging around a dead man's cottage...which is probably not illegal, right?

On the bookshelf in the living room were many diaries, each with numbers on from one to seven hundred and fourteen. Each book is very thick and the shelf extends from one side of the room to the other, covering the entirety of the wall that was opposite to the door. What was strange was how the books sit perfectly together on the shelf, one being in the top left and seven hundred and fourteen were in the bottom right. Every other number was between them, and the group knew they were diaries due to Luka going and reading the latest one, which described all big events that have taken place this year, as of yet, as well as everything Uncle Stan's been doing from meeting some particularly nice people he's to some cool meals he's tasted and even hazy memories that had suddenly resurfaced with references to which books they're in.

After closing the book, Luka announced that no one was to read the other ones and that these are secrets best kept. "They're personal as well," she carried on, in response to Hyunas arguing back, while nervously sifting through drawers, "it's not just dark and unknown history, but also his life that he lived and wrote down for himself to remember not to share."

"But a peak wouldn't hurt anyone. He was the most powerful man out there so there would be some pretty strong spells in here, eh Eren?" Hyuna responded while nudging the wizard, who just awkwardly waddled away to where Pluto was inspecting some abstract paintings with weird colours. 

"Hey, Eren, what do you think this one means?" He pointed to one which was a normal beach scene with a wavy ocean, except a pink man was kneeling on the sand and staring up into the night sky at three brilliantly large lights, one blue, one white and one yellow.

"I dunno, probably impending death or something," he replied as he approached Pluto and stood away from the girls.

"Well aren't you a bright person," Pluto laughed, causing Eren to walk away against of... disappointment? Annoyance? Over by the bookshelf, Hyuna and Luka still argued about whether they should read the entries or not, saying things like they could learn from them but it's morally wrong bla bla bla. The whole thing went back and forth for a good while until eventually, Eren brought attention to a pair of books that were being stored under a table leg to keep it from wobbling.

"The tomb of Styx and the, wait,...the missing one!" Eren shouted, reading the titles of each. "The missing one, that could be the Dragon Master!" he proclaimed as the group all came together in the middle of the room. Eren handed the first book to Luka to read while he looked inside The Missing One himself. 

"This one is basically a map," Luka explained after a good five minutes of skimming through, while Hyuna and Pluto kept lurking about the place, "The tomb of Styx is a dungeon that's located northwest of Halo. The treasure inside, according to the words on its entrance, is, a shield that will always stand to protect you."

"Shields don't have legs."

"Shut up Pluto," Eren mumbled with anger and confusion. The Missing One, from what he could see, was completely empty. Well, not empty, but...broken? Each word had been smudged or rubbed out or just plain erased. The entire thing was crinkly, stained bits of ancient paper bound by leather and full of nothing but black smudges. Except for "PENTAGRAM ISLAND!" Eren suddenly shouted. "There is one thing I can read in here and it's the words 'Pentagram Island'" he explained.

"Bit of an edgy name," Pluto commented. "What's Pentagram Island?"

Eren shrugged, so Luka stepped in to explain, "Pentagram Island is a large landmass directly north of this continent. Whereas here we have Seraphim, our kingdom, and a few others, Pentagram Island consists of the one kingdom: Belphegor. They have multiple guardians there, just like Seraphim has one positioned in each city. But similarly to Cerano, who protects our crown city, the defender of their crown city is known as a monster. So, if anyone were to kidnap the Dragon Master, it would be someone of that skill level."

"But why would they kidnap him?" Hyuna asked, "what do they have to gain except, uh, war?"

"Well... that may just be it. But I have some other guesses as to why they'd do it too, so for now, all we can do is get on with it while I think," Luka explained. "If we take my families boat from Celestial Cities port we'll be able to reach there quick enough."

"But I'm thinkin' we should head over to that tomb," Pluto contributed, "I know me and Hyuna can fight, but I think Luka here should definitely learn too. And Eren needs to practice his fighty spells. I believe that the heat of battle is the best place to evolve your skill; after all, we're gunna need it if were to fight scary pentagram guardians!"

"Makes sense," Eren shrugged, "and that shield will helpful. We could do with the training too of course."

"May I remind you," Luka stepped in, "that this is a dangerous dungeon and training should be performed on straw dummies and weak monsters. This is definitely out of our league."

"Awe has the Lady been watching her knights?" Hyuna teased.

But before a flushed Luka could reply or Pluto and Eren could carry on talking about going to the dungeon, they all heard a noise. Someone was Knocking of Uncle Stans front door. The group stood there paralyzed, just staring at each other with wide eyes, not knowing what to do. The rapping continued until loud voices shouted for them to come out, as this was actually a crime scene. Oops.

"We know you're in there!" They shouted, "we have eye witness reports of a strange group of outsiders entering the home of the deceased guardian!"

But the heroes remained silent. Not knowing what to do, they shuffled out of the room towards the back door and attempted to leave while making minimal noise. Which is, of course, when the, uh, law enforcement team? began to count down from five.

"Bet it's more 'magic police' like before," Eren whispered to Pluto who just nodded dismissively out of being mildly disgruntled.

"We're not children why are they counting down?" he grumbled as if he didn't jump slightly when the deep voices shouted 'THREE'!

"Nah," Eren answered himself as the four creaked the door open and tiptoed out, "their voices aren't croaky enough-"

"will you two shush!" Luka hissed, standing up straight. Apparently, they'd all lowered to the floor as they were walking and were now squatting in Stans garden while Hyuna tried to hold back her laughing at Luka's frustration. It's about now, as Luka was telling them that they were royal guards, when the front door was knocked down. The group had no time to appreciate the garden as they jumped the fence and ran back to the horses and eventually out of town where the pursuing guards shouting was lost with the wind.

After much arguing, the group decided to settle on camping in an area in between Halo and Celestial city that was far away enough from both to be hidden but close enough to in catchment range of Cerano's protection. They were all admittedly tired of running and even Luka agreed that they should train up for future encounters, so they now sat around a campfire with plans of heading west-north-west to the Tomb in the morning.

"Who even is Styx?" Pluto asked while as kicked back and munched on some grilled chicken.

"A goddess," Eren answered. The magician was a lot more well-read than his friend. "From some ancient stories. It could also be talking about the river... from the same ancient stories."

"and," Luka contributed while reading from the book, "there are others like it. I don't know where they all are, but this book labels the rumoured existence of one in a kingdom to the south and I know for a fact that one is east of Celestial City. Each fits the theme of underworld rivers: the tombs of Lethe and Cocytus So in theory, there are five in total"

Pluto's eyes were practically sparkling as he listened, "wow. There's so many cool places out there! See, it was worth choosing to go," he smiled.

"I must admit, it is very enlightening." Luka continued to read through the book as she hummed and rested her head on Hyunas shoulders. She probably didn't realise she was doing it, but Hyuna certainly did.

"Anyway... is there a reason that these tombs haven't been raided yet?" she asked.

"Well, that's because they're new. They mysteriously cropped up about five years ago. That and we only know where the three are. I'd imagine they're trapped too. And full of monsters. Besides, the only people really strong enough to raid dungeons are guardians and they're all busy guarding," Luka answered. She knew Eren was wiser than he appeared but she also knew, and loved the fact that, she was the smartest. Some would say it's her hubris.

Pluto yawned and finished eating, "I see. Well, now this is a bit too much for me brain anynore and I am super tired." He crawled over to the tent he would share with Eren and waved as he bid everyone 'g'night'. 

The others finished eating. Hyuna was next to go to bed, which prompted Eren and Luka to chat a bit more about what's in the book before heading to bed themselves and preparing for tomorrows task.

Stretching and getting down from their horses, the now rested group stood before the dungeon entrance. They had woken up fairly late that morning, eaten breakfast and immediately headed here and arrived at about one in the afternoon. Well prepared and fed, they stood full of vigour before their first challenge. Well, first intentional challenge: the Tomb of Styx. Before them was a large square of marble with a staircase leading down into the darkness with no sign of an end. Around the entrance were the words 'your treasure: a shield that will always stand to defend you' engraved in the pure white marble. 

"Welp, down we go!" Pluto beamed as he marched directly into the dungeon with an enthusiastic Hyuna in tow. Eren sighed and rushed ahead of the group and lit a small flame on his fingertip to light the way as Luka cowered in the back gripping on to Hyuna's shoulders.

"Ya scared, Lady?"

"Of course not! I'm just not foolish enough to put myself in harm's way, is all."

"Oh, but you're in the most danger here, my girl. I'm bringing up the back, you see and-"

"STOP. I don't want to hear whatever crazy, made-up story you're about to weave in an attempt to scare me. I can handle myself perfectly fine, thank you, so please refrain from making me jumpy."

"Hmm, if that's the case, I've been waiting a long time to give you these," Hyuna proclaimed as she pulled out a pair of weapons for Luka. At this point, the staircase had become a long corridor that was dimly lit by floating white lights that looked just like far off stars. The walls were still beautiful marble and mystery shrouded what lay ahead.

"These, my Lady," Hyuna explained while handing Luka the weapons, "are called knuckle dusters." The warrior showed Luka how to put the tools on and then threw some punches at the air as a visual demonstration. "They're that simple. Just something to power up your punch. Perfect for a beginner just like yourself."

"Wow, Hyuna they're... GREAT!" Luka jumped up and down, throwing some admittedly poor, but forceful punches aswell. "I can become a hero like the rest of you!"

"You already were," Pluto smiled. "You and Eren were the brains to our brawn, but I see that you want to step into the lion's lair. So we're going to have to step up our game too, eh Hyuna?"

"I guess so. But fighting prowess ain't all I got up my sleeve. Besides, I was chatting to Eren on the way here."

"Oh yeah, I noticed your twos muttering. What were you on about, then?"

Eren then quickly intervened, while putting out the flame he totally didn't forget he had lit. "Uh, it was nothing super important. And why did you all walk behind me and not mention that I was still casting my spell? Enough magical energy is being used up by storing all our supplies in a pocket dimension, now I look like an idiot with my torch finger..."

"It was funny," Pluto commented.

"You looked dumb," Hyuna added.

"I honestly didn't notice," Luka fretted with her hands up. "But at least this is a sign on your powers growth."

"I guess so...thanks Luka."

"Anyway," Hyuna interrupted, "not to break this touching new relationship up but, as I was saying, Eren was talking about you, Pluto," Eren reacted to this with a sort of embarrassed squeak and Pluto smirked, "he brought up you and your battle tactics, which I'm excited to see in action."

"He's just bossy," Eren muttered. But before their exchange could go on, the group had hit an unexpected dead end. Literally. Before them was a wall made purely of ordinary bricks that just filled in the otherwise white corridor. It seemed to appear out of nowhere or was at least a sudden surprise from the rest of the monotonous tunnel.

"Huh, it's blocked off. Clear sign of evil. Guess we're leaving now," Hyuna shrugged. But ignoring that and inspecting the wall, the three others shortly heard a li'l bang followed by a quiet 'ouch'.

"Are you okay Hyu-? Oh...what is that?" Pluto and Eren also turned around in response to Lukas questioning and were now more confused than before. Well, Pluto wasn't. 

"Aha, classic puzzle!" he exclaimed.

"Since when have you ever been in a dungeon before?" Eren asked while Luka walked over to Hyuna. From the looks of things, the group were now trapped between two walls as a new one had suddenly appeared behind them all. It was just like the other one, except painted blue as opposed to the other one which was more apparently red now.

"I played D&D with Carole once," Pluto shrugged.

"Why wasn't I invited?"

"Because they get nervous! And I had designed a campaign for one person already just for them and-"

"Alright, nerd," Eren stopped him right there, "just tell us how to solve this classic puzzle and be done."

"You see, it's called the endless corridor, or sommet along those lines. There will always be a wall there unless you look directly at the first one, IE the red one, and walk straight backwards, where you will end up in the next part of the original corridor." Pluto then went on to demonstrate this after telling them not to look at the red wall. The whole group just# went along with it, despite Hyunas arguments and of course, as Hyuna predicted, they all ended up with ouchies.

"Why didn't it work, Pluto?" Luka asked, trying to stay calm in spite of a now angry Eren and smug Hyuna. 

"I-I don't know. Maybe if we try it with the other wall-"

"No!" Eren stopped him, "look, I know magic. I don't know how I know, but I do. I probably attended a magic school before I lost my memory or something."

"Sounds lame," said Pluto, "so yeah...please help me."

Eren sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I'll figure sommet out." Pluto smiled at this. 

"Thanks, man."

"Any-anyway, let's look into this!" Eren sat on the floor with his hand against the red brick wall. "This spell is called Exposure. It can be cast with any method and will reveal varying degrees of information depending on the casters skill level."

"There are different methods of casting magic?" Luka asked.

"I'll tell you about it sometime, all you need to know is I use freehand casting and the spell on this trap is called runic casting. It's-"

"Very interesting and something im sure I'd learn one day," Pluto interrupted sarcastically. "The important thing is whether you can undo it or not?"

"Most people tend to stick to one method for their whole lives. But I should be able to rewrite this quick enough seeing as it's a fair few years old," Eren explained. He then closed his eyes and placed both hands against the wall and shut his eyes. A red light could be seen shining through the bottom of his eyelids as strange ancient lettering emitted from his wrists and floated around them before crawling around the wall and disappearing. This went on for a good while with eerie silence and an admittedly claustrophobic atmosphere. Were they losing oxygen?

"Hey, Eren, buddy." Pluto put his hand gently on his shoulder, "you don't think you could speed this up do you?"

"That's not how magic works Pluto," Hyuna criticised, "unless..."

"What do you know about magic anyway?" Pluto's hand was still on Erens shoulder, but neither noticed that Pluto's eyes were also glowing, except his were a regal purple instead. That lasted for around five seconds until Eren suddenly stopped and announced that he had finished the job. To show this, the red wall shattered at the slightest touch and the heroes could once again venture forth.

"I'm not sure how I finished so quickly," the magician pondered, "I expected to take a lot longer. That and for more of my power to be drained."

"Maybe it had somet-" Luka began, only to be cut off by Hyuna.

"Something to do with how you're becoming stronger! You shouldn't be so modest you know!"

"I guess so." Eren shrugged, "maybe I should be more wild with magic..."

"Yeah man!" Pluto encouraged.

Luka wasn't sure why Hyuna had prevented her from bringing up the fact that Pluto had obviously provided magical support without knowing it. But she trusted her and didn't give it another thought. Maybe she was just encouraging them to explore Pluto's capabilities on their own or for them to grow closer together without the girl's input. Who knows. What they did know is how deeper they were getting into the dungeon. The lights on the wall had become erratic torches. It's like the dancing flames were really put on a show and causing a trippy shadow dance on the walls leaving the groups hearts pumping a bit faster than before and setting the nerves on edge. Luka's knuckles were white from gripping the weapons and Pluto would make little lunges towards his bow and quiver at the slightest sound just as the torches movements became sharper. Hyuna, however, was grinning as they walked forward to an unknown destination; she had her knives out again and was ready, nay, anticipating a fight with excitement. Now she had the chance to show the team what she could do and now she had the chance to show off that ace up her sleeve.

However, "HYUNA LOOK OUT!" was what finally broke her out of these thoughts and made her realise that the opportunity to show off had just been lost.

Down at the end of the corridor was a large room. When the group had reached and entered it, they saw that the opposite side was made of greyer marble and that the white stone around them gently faded from that colour to this. Unfortunately, the torches only stretched around the room to the door on the other side, which lead down another corridor, but of black marble. Because of these things, the opposite tunnel was pitch black. Properly and one hundred percent dark. So it really was a surprise when three arrows launch towards them from there.

"NO!" the warrior girl screamed as she jumped to the floor. Her trousers had been cut on her right leg and a small bit of blood was dripping out. It was nothing major and she didn't even feel it, but she did feel that she needed to dodge so dramatically. "I WILL NOT BE THE FIRST TO GO DOWN!" Being so close to losing the use of her right leg like that was the scariest thing to her. But before she could unleash her rage, the attacker revealed themselves.

"Each of these five tombs was made for the lost king. He alone can pass them, whether others try or not. Now that he has done the puzzle, he must face the guardian. Then the treasure shall be his, and the quest can continue." What stood before them was a pure white mechanical skeleton with a black cloak draped around its body with the hood up. They didn't quite know why, maybe it was the shape of the eye sockets or positioning of the metallic skull, but the expressionless creation was giving off major vibes of being angry. The cold empty places that should hold eyeballs just emit an eerie glare worse than that of any humans. And the arrows had been shot from a little shortbow that hid behind the cloak with its end peaking out.

As soon as the strange skeletal archer machine had drawn its weapon again, Hyuna was up and ready to fight. She moved just as fast as this guardian and the two were toe to toe by the time the rest of the group had got into a fighting stance. Unfortunately, Eren was tired as soon as he cast for a few sparks to appear on his hand and Luka wasn't battle-ready. 

The worst part is, Pluto didn't draw his bow. He just stood and watched as his two friends panicked while Hyunas blades danced with the guardian. "Hey, Luka. That skeleton lass is accurate, but at close range, the best she can do is use her agility to dodge," he explained. "Basically, I need you to get in there. Corner Styx and help Hyuna get the finishing blow."

"I doubt that is within my skill range...besides why can't you do it?" Luka asked as she stood they tapping the knuckle dusters together like a fidgety child.

"I fight with range too; I'd be useless here. I need you to help Hyuna. Pincer attack, y'know."

"But-" Luka gasped. She was interrupted by the sound of a horrible scraping and frustrated scream. Hyuna was so close to cornering it but the thing slipped away and she ended up recoiling against the wall. At this point, Pluto had gone to try and stop Eren from hurting himself with magic fatigue. Leaving Luka alone with a choice.

Does she try to help Hyuna, and probably end up getting in her way? Or stand on the sidelines so she doesn't ruin her friends focus? Well, I'd think it's obvious, don't you? That's how Luka saw it. From the viewpoint of someone who had been raised by evil people in charge that insisted on letting problems 'solve themselves'. She knew that you had to risk it all for the sake of the best outcome instead of sitting and hoping the worst outcome doesn't happen. So the princess took the initiative and charged with a scream.

Did she know what she was doing? nope. Had she got any training? of course not. That isn't ladylike at all, now, is it? But none of that stopped her from causing the enemy to draw their attention towards her. Now with a slice, swing, slice constantly coming for her head at both sides, the guardian was struggling to stand ground. Sure, Luka's had been messy and wild throws but they were certainly threatening enough. She kept throwing them again and again and getting into a sort of rhythm with Hyuna, who was having a blast. 

Unfortunately, the first blow against the enemy was the first blow against themselves as Hyuna making contact with the being caused it to suddenly grab the pair and launch them across the room. They sat there groaning as the dust settled and the boys stared in awe.

"I have already said that this tomb is for the lost king. That is neither of you." The skeleton ignored them now and looked at Pluto and Eren, "It is one of you two. Prove you are ready for the task ahead." So while the two girls sat there inspecting their bruises and moving away from the cracked wall, Styx engaged in combat with the archer and the magician.

This being her mistake. Pluto and Eren stood back to back as the being launched itself from the other side of the room directly towards them. It had ditched the bow at some point as it was now using feral clawed hands to fight. 

"I've no idea what you're on about you crazy guardian," Pluto shouted, "but you ain't gonna hurt my team!"

"Yeah," Eren chimed in, "we all know they can fight for themselves. If it wasn't for your rule about some lost kid your ass would be grass thanks to those fighters down there!"

In sync, the boys parted to let Styx's slash attack miss in between them. They made their counter attack by whipping around to face her and launching a unison attack.

"So now we're gonna hafta deal with this ourselves. It is one of us, right?" Pluto had scarily quickly readied and launched and an arrow directly at the recovering enemy.

"So take an attack that comes from both of us!" Eren had flicked his wrist and glared right back at the enemy as he lit the speeding arrow ablaze in midair with a searing white flame. 

"OUR HEART PIERCING BOLT!" They shouted in semblance as they watched the projectile speed through the air with magical power and quickly shatter the android's skull. It let out a shrill whirring sound upon its death while the rest of the body seemed to rust crumble like it was only just feeling the effects of time. An unsettling blue vapour escaped from the skull when it broke and ended up drifting away down the corridor that the heroes entered as if it had somewhere else to return to. Immediately after revelling in this success, Eren passed out from exhaustion and fell into the arms of Luka. She and Hyuna stood there in a state and a half, but with smiles on their faces as they nodded for Pluto to follow them down the hall to collect the treasure they had rightfully earned.


	4. True magic

'I think...I'll save that for when I need it.' That's what Hyuna thought. The ace up her sleeve is a one time use, at least it may as well be, and she couldn't believe she was about to waste it on that loser. One day...when the time comes. She grasped a hand around the necklace with the fang on that she was wearing and tuned back into the conversation.

"It's all yours!" Luka smiled as she gestured to the treasure before them, "you and Eren beat that thing and he's passed out. The treasure belongs to you, Pluto."

"I guess so. Well, I may as well take it," Pluto said uneasily as he stared at the reward. He felt bad because they'd got through that small dungeon together. But who was he to argue back when they pushed it on him. "The shield that will always stand to defend me...well...hey. I guess. I-"

"Stop talking to the thing and just take it so we can leave!" Hyuna growled. She didn't like being reminded of how she had to let the others take care of it. She was strong enough, right? They only did it because they had magic infused into the bolt. And that monster had gone into a rage...yeah, that was it. They had luckier circumstances. If she'd just had enough time to recover she could've taken it down with her own heart piercing attack...even though that attack went through its head. Why are those two so dramatic?

"Yeah, yeah...sorry." The dark corridor from the room where they fought Styx leads to this treasure room. There wasn't much treasure to behold, really, other than a few scattered gold coins and, well, the floating shield in the middle of the room. The gold coins were a pentagon shape with a circular hole in the centre. It had strange foreign writing on and small circles around the hole that possibly represented the solar system. Basically, it is a space-based currency that is unknown to the four heroes.

The shield itself was hovering in a beam of bright, white light above a cube stone pedestal in the middle of the room. It was quite small, about the size of an average dinner plate but with that usual medieval heater shape. Its colouring was shiny but grey...it wasn't made of silver...something else, a metal that was also foreign to the heroes. It has a pure black trim all around the edge with white dots on to clearly represent space. Another thing is the corners are rounded off and the edges are slightly curved, making the whole thing look more cartoony than not. 

Pluto walked over to it and picked it up with his hands on each side. Turning it around, he saw no strap or handle on the back to hold it with. "Uh, guys. How does this thing work?"

"I'd bet Eren knows," Luka said, "he seems knowledgable about the art of magic."

"He is!" Pluto said with a smile. He took the shield and attached it to his brown belt. The others were confused as to how they didn't notice it before but were more confused as to how the shield just dangled off it as if the belt were magically magnetic. Which, according to Pluto, it apparently was.

"Eren made it me for my birthday last year."

"How old are you again?" Hyuna had to ask.

"Now? I'm 21!"

"You're the same age as me but you act the way you do...because?" Luka sighed at Hyuna's rudeness but ignored her in favour of inspecting the strange coins further.

"It's fun! Anyway, Eren made this for me with magic-"

"We gathered."

"It will always make a pocket appear for anything you need to attach or sheath. Like a sack of coins or a knife. And if it's a bit bigger, like this shield, it will just magically hover next to it like magnets!"

"Isn't that, like, really advanced magic?"

"Yeah," Pluto answered kind of guiltily, "Eren should be a lot further on with his magic by now, after all, he's been doin' it his whole life." He walked up to the sleeping man, that Luka had laid on the floor, and brushed his hand through Eren's hair. "Even after mastering pocket dimension and restock, his offensive spells should still be a lot further than basic infusion in others arrows. He spends a lot of time and energy doing stupid stuff like making me the best damn birthday presents ever. I hope he realises how much I-" Pluto stopped to stare at Eren for a moment before smiling again. "Appreciate him."

After a few seconds of calm silence, Pluto picked Eren up himself, bridal style, and began walking out of the room after giving a nod for Hyuna and Luka to follow. The man walked quietly, still grinning, while the girls walked behind. They honestly felt quite awkward, as if they were intruding on a moment. They kinda felt jealous too.

That's when Pluto shouted, after laying Eren on the ground of course. "Dammit! We still need to get through this other wall!" The heroes had nearly reached the exit when they found the spot where Eren had rewritten the runic magic that blocked their way. And of course, Eren was knocked out for the foreseeable future. Pluto and Hyuna both had anger in their eyes. They were tired and ready to leave but this thing stood in their way. however, before they could begin punching their way through the wall, or whatever mad idea they had, Luka decided to step forward and take charge.

"I didn't think I'd have to use this so soon," Luka said, "I only brought a handful of tomes with me, so we must stop back at the castle to collect my spellbooks before we leave for Belphegor."

"I'm sorry-" Pluto started.

"Your WHAT?!" Hyuna shouted.

Luka stretched her arm out in front of her and closed her eyes. A series of words, no, runes began floating in circles around her body and her hand began sinking into something in the air until it was completely invisible.

"I know this magic. It's pocket dimension," Pluto muttered.

After a good few seconds of...rummaging? Luka pulled her hand back slowly, and in it was a small black book, about A6 in size, with a picture of a purple star on the front. Luka then held it out in front of her and pointed it to the door like it was a weapon. "Oh, heavens above. Lend me the power of your cosmic destruction. Remove our block and lead this quest onwards to the stars and beyond!" As Luka shouted this, the book in her hand began disintegrating into purple light until it was completely gone. The runes also appeared around her again as she spoke the words and soon enough, the spell was activated. Purple, glowing cracks appeared in the centre of the blue wall, and as if it were made of glass, they suddenly began crawling outwards throughout the wall until it was completely covered. 

"BREAK!" Luka shouted. A simple spell, it was, but certainly effective. Clearly draining aswell. When Luka shouted the activation word, the wall shattered, once again, as if glass and cleared the way. The consequence of such powerful magic is Luka immediately passing out just like Eren had before.

The two conscious heroes had made a camp in about the same location as before they entered the Tomb. Both tents were up, the fire was crackling and the stars were out. That's when Luka and Eren finally woke up. Before now, Pluto and Hyuna had sat in uncomfortable silence for hours, only for it to be broken by one or the other occasionally going off to fight something. Pluto had, unfortunately, found no stray monsters to expend his boredom on, and even less fortunate for Hyuna, she had. 

"Why are you so bruised and battered?" Luka asked as she sat up and stretched, "you look a lot worse than before I passed out?"

"She lost a fight to a monster!" Pluto immediately answered.

"I won't lose a fight to you though, Mr Appreciation!"

"What?" Eren joined the conversation as well, with a yawn.

"NOTHING!" Pluto waved his hands in the air, "forget about it...anyway, about what happened after you passed out." Pluto went and sat next to Eren and then recounted the short amount he missed after explaining that they'd both been out for hours. He then explained future plans of setting off straight to Celestial City in the morning so they can catch the boat to Belphegor.

"Woah, Woah, Woah...Luka... you're a wizard? And a word caster at that, huh." Eren looked very disgruntled by this information. "Cosmic magic is the most powerful and hardest to use form of elemental magic. I've heard of Break before and damn I wish I coulda seen it."

"I don't know what this word casting business is but yeah. I am a wizard!" She announced.

"Hmm. That's bad."

"Why?" Hyuna defended, "what she did saved us all, it was really powerful!"

"I know," Eren began, "but it was incredibly inefficient. A normal wizard could have cast Break and had plenty of energy left for other strong spells."

"Hey, she's been training her whole life!" Hyuna carried on defending. "You must not know a lot about magic because she did her best!" Luka knew she should have calmed Hyuna down, but instead sat there with a smile and let the conversation carry on.

"Ugh. Listen to me. There are three tiers of magic technique. Learning, Mastery and legendary tiers. Mastery techniques are freehand casting, the art of channelling magic through one's body to exert it out of their hands, and runic casting, the art of channelling magic through summoning, runic and casting circles. I Practice freehand casting, of course. The learning tiers are more...contained forms of these techniques. Word casting channels the magic through tomes and spell books, making it cost more energy and come out less powerful. This is what people practice to ready themselves for runic casting. In turn, people practice wand casting to ready themselves for freehand casting. Once again, channelling magic through a wand instead of your body or circles has the same inefficiency as channelling magic through books. In summary, you are too far gone in the art of word casting to move on to runic casting."

"How is that a summary of what you said?" Hyuna criticised.

"Uh, why are learning tiers not as efficient as mastery tiers again?" Pluto asked.

"The only things strong enough to properly channel the raw magic energy in the air or living creatures are the human body and magic itself. Hence freehand and runic casting. Wand and word casting are basically sloppy."

"I see."

"But how does that explain your comment about Luka's magic being bad?" Hyuna was obviously growing angrier and Luka finally took the hint to stand up and rest a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

"She should've upgraded to runic casting a long time ago. Not only will she be a lot weaker for a long while if she attempts to upgrade now, but she may also grow ill due to her body's reliance on books to channel magic," Eren explained.

"Well," Luka interrupted, "despite my long nap, I am still incredibly tired, and I'd imagine the rest of you are too. So we shall leave that there and discuss plans tomorrow morning."

"Look at you, Lady, taking charge and diffusing shiz." Hyuna gently elbowed Luka, "come on, let's do as she says, I'm beat." And without even considering eating a meal, the group all agreed that they were beyond tired and settled into the tents that they shared for another night under the stars.

Sharp whispering is what woke the pair up. Both Eren and Pluto looked at each other and shrugged before poking their heads out the tent to see Hyuna and Luka attempting to argue quietly and failing. Apparently, the girls didn't notice the boys as they kept on without interruption. It was a lovely bright morning and the birds would probably be singing if the girls weren't fighting.

"You lost to him once already, and you're in a worse condition now. Please, just rest some more and let me handle it." Luka looked like she was about to cry as she spoke to Hyuna, whose back was turned to her.

"I'm fine, a few bruises never stopped me before and they won't now!"

"If I just talk to Cerano, he will let the group, or at least me, past."

"Why would he listen to you?"

"Because I'm-"

"Nothing special." Hyuna's comment really made the tears flow for Luka now, which she visibly regretted as she turned around to face her friend again. "Look, I've been losing battle after battle recently, like, way before we started this dumb mission. I came to protect you and...and what good am I if I can't even do that?"

"Oh, Hyuna..." Luka cupped Hyunas face and the two looked into each other's eyes with sadness, which is when the boys began feeling more awkward and decided to fully emerge from their tent and greet the other members of their team. The two girls parted and wiped their tears as they said good morning back. That morning, everyone prepared breakfast and ate in silence until today's briefing. Despite this, Hyuna and Luka sat closer than before to each other.

"Right," Luka began, "plain and simple: we are considered criminals. When we arrive at Celestial City later today, we will be greeted by Cerano, who will use all his power to make sure we're locked up."

"Uh, since when was this a threat? And ain't he, like, a mega strong monster?!" Pluto asked in a panic.

"It makes sense that he'd be there to take us in, considering your position and all," Eren muttered. He looked incredibly concerned for someone who had just helped to shoot a dungeon guardian. "Yeah, Pluto, he is strong. He can control lightning and has other electricity-based powers. I've always wanted to compare a guardians power to that of magic, but not like this..."

"Anyway, we need to be ready." Luka had stood up and Hyuna looked away once again as she spoke to the group, "all of us are going to have to fight and defeat Cerano at once." Hyuna looked up at Luka in surprise, who smiled down at her. "That skeleton machine was strong but Cerano could've killed it in the blink of an eye, so we must do the same to him!"

"I assume you have a plan then?" Eren asked the princess as he pats Pluto on the back in an attempt to comfort him.

"No. Not really. But, we can come up with one. I have multiple tomes left in my pocket dimension, after all, I can only carry so many because it's small. So we will have to complete the fight quickly, as I will pass out once I've used all three." Luke closed her eyes and runes appeared around her as she reached into the pocket dimension and pulled out four small black books like before, one with a picture of a blue water droplet, one with a picture of a dark green cross and the other two with a light green picture of a...tornado? The had swirly symbols to represent the wind element.

It's also now that Hyuna explained how Luka could cast pocket dimension to the boys, "she has the words for the spell tattooed onto her arm just under her shoulder like a band. She explained it to me, uhhhh, something like she'd practised that one spell so much that she could cast it just by saying the words in her head." 

Luka then held one of the wind tomes and the one with the cross and pointed them towards Hyuna. The other two were held in her left hand. "May your small aches become one with the wind and your marks a memory of a battle now over," she said. The book with the cross slowly disintegrated in a dark green light in the same fashion as the Break tome until it was gone, but the symbol on the wind one just glowed. "FADE!" Hyuna then let out a small scream of shock before covering her mouth. It appeared that all her bruises and, assumedly, her pain had faded away. The symbol on the wind tome stopped glowing now and Luka fell onto one knee out of fatigue, but still joined in the strategising. "Now, let us make a plan of attack to defeat the crown city's guardian."

After a day of strategising and travelling, the team arrived at their destination at Two PM: Celestial City. Luka, after eating a lot more than the others, was now well-rested and ready to support the team from a distance with her tomes. Hyuna was their attacker. She stood ready to go in with everything she's got by matching each of his lightning-quick attacks with ones of her own. Pluto also stood at a distance with his bow ready and three arrows in-between his fingers ready to lay cover fire. And Eren was standing there wearing Luka's knuckle dusters. He, however, did know how to throw a punch, and so Luka, with Hyunas permission, gave the weapons to him. Although he couldn't throw a fireball yet, he could use a more basic form that he had suddenly developed earlier: the great magic of infusion. The way it works is basically the same as a fireball spell, but instead of the energy being expelled as a fireball, its infused into an item to strengthen speed, power and even accuracy at times. Basically, if Eren had the power, he could release the infusion spell out of his hands in the form of a fireball. Yeah, magic is all about channelling the elemental energy if you hadn't gathered.

Pluto didn't take any damage in the first place and Eren had already recovered perfectly from his fatigue. Luka had just about recovered from the healing spell she'd done earlier but assured everyone she had enough energy to use all three remaining tomes before passing out again and although Hyuna felt a bit...strange, she had fully recovered thanks to Luka's healing tome.

The boys hadn't really had a chance to admire the Celestial City in it's whole seeing as their last trip consisted of a courtroom, a shady pub, illegal tunnels and a galloping escape out the back exit. Now they could appreciate the two towering grey walls that cornered off a piece of land on the coast to house the city. There were two towers on either side of the grand archway entrance that had the river winding through. 

And true to expectations, he arrived. The sky was beautiful and clear, but that didn't stop a massive bolt of lightning shooting down from the sky and charring the grass in front of them as well as scaring the horses. But where there would normally be flames, stood a man who awaited these heroes arrival: Cerano the champion of Seraphim. 

"I've been waiting for you, kids." The man approached with hands in pockets and a grin on his face.

"We're just over ten years younger than you..." Hyuna commented.

That's when Cerano zipped over in a yellow blur leaving behind a momentary streak of electricity. The man that stood before them had long, spiky yellow hair with black roots and wore a black choker with a little, yellow thunderbolt charm in the middle. This man clearly went all out with the black/yellow lightning aesthetic. His shirt was yellow with a black skull on and he wore black leather trousers and boots that were, you guessed it, black. The laces were yellow though. 

"What was that girly?"

"It was: I'm gonna gut you, thundercu-"

"ALRIGHT!" Luka interjected, "look, Cerano, Sir-"

"Hey, I know you," he said as he pointed at Luka, "the kings got special orders not to hurt you... as much. Don't worry young lady, you can just come with me peacefully to the king and your friend's punishment probably won't be as severe." Even his nails fit, as they were all painted black with different yellow lightning patterns. "If not, well, I've got strict orders to use force!" Cerano said that last word so aggressively that sparks flew off him and the air became more static, causing hairs to raise.

"And we have a serious mission to follow!"

"I see. The fun way it is then."

"I don't think you understand, Cerano." Luka looked him dead in the eye with the most intimidating expression she could make. It quite honestly scared Hyuna and made the boys uneasy. Pluto may be the leader in battle and strategy, but it's easy to say that Luka took the lead in diplomatics. She represented the team and she spoke for them. And she stood there and said, "we are all heading to Belphegor to find the Dragon Master and we are going to save this kingdom and its people. That mission ends when we die, so I hope you're ready for a fight more difficult than any you've ever faced before."

"Now, I know that Cerano is the big baddy," Pluto whispered to Eren, "but I think that in his story, Luka is the big baddy."

But before Eren could respond, Cerano let out a hearty laugh. Like rumbling thunder, it shook the ground and scared the heroes, including the tougher-than-she-looks Luka. He held both his hands out, palms facing down, and they both sparked for a second in a ball of electricity. Six shurikens appeared in-between his fingers, three in each hand, as he cast some form of Pocket Dimension or Restock to summon his weapons.

"You want a fight? You can have one, ya group o' nothings. But know that I must hold back. Hehe stop scowling Hyuna, I know you already know. You see, we guardians all made an oath." At this point, Cerano had stuck his tongue out to show a black circle with a thunderbolt inside tattooed onto it before he put it away and continued talking. "This is my guardian marking, we all get one when we take that oath. On that day, we all promised to never ever use our full powers on anything other than our true enemies, ya know. Just monsters and crap. Basically, a bunch of petty criminals like you four kinda don't fit that. I'll have you down in ten seconds flat anyway!" Cerano let out a laugh again. When he was done he stood in a battle-ready position with his arms extended over one another and the shurikens ready. His knees were bent slightly and his grin was a manic expression of excitement and sadism. "Just know, however, that if I wanted to, I could kill you instantly with a snap of my finger."

The Tomb of Styx? That was nothing. Now comes the real first challenge for the heroes as they stand ready facing their opponent: Cerano Lock, the guardian of the Seraphim kingdoms crown city and leader of the king's royal army. The environment gave neither party an advantage as they stood in a green field next to a river and the city walls. The team were undeniably shaken by Cerano's threats but stood proud anyway ready make their stand in the name of their quest.

It all seemed so real now. Uncle Stans death had been a hard hitter and Styx quite literally was aswell, but gearing up against a guy of this magnitude, well, they were certainly happy that he planned on holding back.

"This li'l technique of mine is called buzz saws. An' I know that I can't use my true powers, but infusion? Well, we guardians all agree that that is a perfectly fine skill to use no matter who you're fightin'!"

"...What's a buzz saw?" Eren asked nervously, to which the others just shrugged.

Now seeing as Cerano was about to unleash his first move, Hyuna wasted no time as the attacker and got in there. She extended her arms and two knives came out the sleeves. She grabbed them and charged as the opponent began their first attack.

"Hyuna is our strongest force; the main attacker on the front lines who will whittle down the enemy." Pluto stood going over their strategy again as he knelt down to focus on the enemy while drawing his three arrows. "Me and Luka will lay cover against whatever he throws at her."

But before Hyuna could get close enough for one slice, the thunder guardian showed them what his first technique, buzz saw, was. Instead of throwing his shurikens at them, he flung three of them at the ground instead as he shouted the activation words of 'BUZZ SAW' causing the infusion to spark to life. Electricity crackled around the shurikens as they flew to the floor and eventually they became shrouded in yellow light and crackling sparks. They then began turning like wheels causing them to move across the ground when they hit it and head straight towards Hyuna.

"Y'see, this original spell of mine was inspired a fair bit by Kanas dragon piercer spell. So I gotta give the girl credit for teachin' me how to do stuff like this. Tell her thanks again from me if you're not executed by tonight, 'kay?" The man laughed a deep rumbly laugh again as Hyuna helplessly watched the attack approach her quicker than she could react. The things left a yellow trail behind them and the grass was burned away in their stead. When they got to the girl, they leapt sharply off the floor as if they had a mind of their own and towards her chest where they would've otherwise killed her right there, but instead were shot out of the sky by three arrows.

"And Eren... you're the one who will land the final blow," Pluto announced. He stood with an angry face and white knuckles as he gripped the weapon and drew another three arrows. Despite his fury at the fact Hyuna had nearly been ended right there, Luka was seething on a level beyond the boys. She pulled out a wind tome, the same one that had been used earlier during her healing of Hyuna, and pointed at Cerano while Eren began his part.

"FIRE WALL!" was the activation word, and although Cerano had prepared more shurikens to send off at him, Hyuna wasted no time in recovering from the shock and getting some hits in on him so he couldn't stop Eren from cornering him. She slashed at him with more speed than she did against Styx, and although he blocked and sliced back with his shurikens, close-quarters combat was plainly not his strong point. If anything, the pair were evenly matched in this situation seeing as Cerano couldn't use his powers and Hyuna wasn't giving him the time to infuse. He'd even jumped away a few times in an attempt to gain just a second of breathing time for a chance to do some magic, but Hyuna wouldn't allow it for she ran straight at him relentlessly each time. Despite this, Cerano would inevitably win out of pure experience, skill and back up option of his powers, should he choose to use them.

Her goal wasn't to win, though, as she now jumped away when her goal of distraction was realised and a huge wall of flames surrounded the guardian.

"GO, LUKA!" Pluto pointed at the circle of fire that trapped Cerano, "remember, this is a new spell to Eren so it won't last longer than a few seconds nor can he repeat it in this fight!"

Luka nodded and was already casting the spell. Hyuna had regrouped with them and Eren sat on the floor trying to regain his energy for one last attack.

"I hereby blow this wind, infused with the agony of a battle now over, and cast the pain it carries from another to you," the symbol on that tome didn't glow this time, and instead the whole thing disintegrated into light green light as the ones before it had. "FADE: CARRY TECHNIQUE!" she shouted. A strong wind blew from her hand and extinguished the fire before swirling around Cerano for a few seconds until leaving. He stood paralyzed before shouting for a moment. Strange bruises appeared on him and began demanding to know what they did to him and why he ached so much now.

"I see," Eren began, "an advanced form of infusion: the carry technique. It's the ability to carry the physical sensations that one feels from them to another. Basically, Cerano is feeling the pain Hyuna felt after being launched against a wall by Styx."

"That's super cool Luka!" Pluto commented, "but now you must go finish him off while he's still surprised."

"Guess I get another crack at him then," Hyuna smirked as she charged towards him, "gotta keep you on your toes so Eren over 'ere can end you!"

Which is when the freehand caster stood up and marched as quickly as he could towards the duelling pair. A wide-eyed Cerano was now fighting slower than before and with gritted teeth. When Eren reached them he raised his right hand, equipped with a knuckle duster that was now infused with flames, and waited for the perfect moment to strike and knock him out. Hyuna had even got a few cuts off on him before she kicked him in Erens direction where he swung as hard as he could right for the head. "Two brand new spells in one day, huh? That can't be good for me..." Eren chuckled to himself before dealing the final blow.

The final blow of a fiery fist. A fiery fist that never connected with its target. When they arrived here, Cerano appeared in a flash of lightning as if he himself were the bolt. He recreated that here and now as he appeared to be like a jolt of electricity surging through a wire. A yellow spark flowed through the air around Eren when he disappeared and reappeared behind the wizard.

"BUZZ SAW!"

"WHIRLPOOL!"

In the instant that Cerano was about to launch three deadly weapons at Eren, Luka used the water tome to cast a protection spell around him in the form of swirling water that reflected the buzz saw attack. But that didn't stop their foe, oh no, he instead seemed to infuse his whole body with thunder as he gripped both hands onto the whirlpool and began tearing the vortex open from the side.

"Th-that's impossible," Eren stuttered as he saw the terrifying sight of Cerano's grin appear in a hole that shouldn't exist. "No one's that strong...STOP IT!" Eren was shaking now, both out of fear and tiredness. He'd also gone a ghastly pale colour. Although he was clearly out of commission, Cerano still took the opportunity to send one roaring punch through the hole he made that dispelled the whirlpool once and for all and sent Eren flying into the city wall.

"Well, that's one outta four." Cerano became electricity again and snaked through the air until he was above Pluto where he regained form and shot down six infused shurikens, "let's make you number two, pretty boy," he hissed. Pluto managed to shoot three of them out the air and Hyuna had come and defended him from another two, but one was shot down straight through his knee. Blood poured from the wound and he stared at it for a second before screaming and falling over as he dropped everything to clutch it.

That left the girls. 

Cerano was vulnerable as he fell from the sky so they attacked without hesitation. Luka pointed the other wind tome at Hyuna and who jumped up towards her prey. "We need to seize this opportunity, Lady, so you better make me strong enough to end him!"

"Flight shall bless your soul and elevate you to the skies. Allow the winds to carry you to victory and beyond!" Luka shouted. Winds swirled around her in a sort of harmless tornado that became green with magical energy. Then an arrow of light shot from her body and towards the midair Hyuna who, with the activation word, sprouted wings from her back. "WIND GAURDIAN...a spell that can only be born of a unison attack..." Luka smiled as she once again gave into fatigue and passed out.

But Hyuna didn't look back. Instead, she was now repeatedly uppercutting the guardian and sort of juggling him in the air, using the power of her glowing green wings to constantly fly on over to him as he fell and strike him upwards again. Just as before, she was so fast he could not cast any kind of spell in time to escape.

Eventually, he had enough. He roared like a dragon so loudly it sent out a shockwave towards Hyuna and stopped her in the air. But the only reason he was able to do this is that he had also struck himself with lightning as a means of defence. It didn't hurt him, of course, but it powered him up immensely and gave off the clear warning that fighting against him now was useless. So he naturally floated to the ground with yellow wings of his own and forfeit the match as he had used his full power which he swore not to in this match.

Yep.

Eren and Luka were knocked out and Pluto sat there after bandaging up his leg and doing what he can before seeing a doctor. Hyuna and Cerano looked at one another and nodded as both their wings disintegrated and the battle was officially over. The heroes had won and earned Cerano's respect.

**Author's Note:**

> Please help me by criticising my beginner writing.  
> I'm doing this to learn so its appreciated.  
> and thank you for reading :)


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